World War I - Week 6 - September 7-13, 1914
TIMELINE
Sep 7 - Second Austrian-Hungarian invasion of Serbia begins
Sep 7 - Battle of the Masurian Lakes leads to the retreat of Russian 1st Army
Sep 8 - Germans forced back across the River Marne in France
Sep 12 - Total defeat of Austrian-Hungarian forces by the Russians in Galicia
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The war on the Eastern front was quite different than in the West as it allowed for battles of maneuver. The western battlefront was much more compact and would settle into trench warfare for most of the War. In the West, gains were measured in hundreds of yards, while in the East successful offensives would often move the lines hundreds of miles both in width and depth.
After the German destruction of the northern Russian 2 nd Army at Tannenberg, they rushed the whole weight of their forces by rail to face the Russian 1 st at the Masurian Lakes on Sep 7. They failed to encircle the Russian forces which battled through a fighting retreat. On Sep 13 the Russians crossed back into Russian territory, never to again seriously threaten the German homeland.
Against the Austrian-Hungarians the southern Russian armies were having a far better time of it in Galicia. By Sep 11, the A-H forces had surrended over 150 miles of territory and losing 400,000 men including 300,000 prisoners. This represented of their starting army and would lose their most experienced officers and NCOs.
AUSTRIA HUNGARY AND EMPEROR FRANZ JOSEPH
By 1914 the Hapsburg Empire of Austria-Hungary was a 2 nd -rate Great Power and in decline. In the years leading up to the War, A-H had spent by far the least amount of the Great Powers on its military. The only strengths were the monstrous 420mm howitzers produced by the Skoda Armaments which the Germans would use to demolish the Belgian and French fortresses, and their elite Alpine Corps who put mobile mountain artillery to good use against the Italians later in the War.
The Austrian-Hungary would be proof that diversity is not always a good thing. When the mobilization orders were issued in August 1914, they were dispersed throughout the Empire in 16 different languages. The army included Poles, Czechs, Slovaks, Germans, Ukrainians, Hungarians, Slovenes, Romanians, Ruthenians, Serbs, Croats and Italians. The army was ill-trained and ill-equipped. Their leadership was equally poor. There is not one A-H general of note throughout the entire War.
The Austrian-Hungarian Emperor Franz Joseph is one of the Wars most sad and tragic figures. He was 84-years old at the outbreak of war, but was the most conscientious and hard-working ruler until his death in 1916. He took power as a teenager in 1848 but whose reign was marked by repeated tragedies.
1866 Defeated by Prussia, losing her leadership of the many German states.
1867 Younger brother Maximilian shot in Mexico after being invited to be the Mexican Emperor.
1868 Forced to cede some powers to Hungary with the creation of the Dual Monarchy.
1889 His only son Rudolph committed suicide after a life addicted to drugs.
1898 His wife, Empress Elizabeth, was assassinated by an Italian anarchist.
1914 His nephew and heir, Archduke Franz Ferdinand, was assassinated by Serbian nationalists which would be the spark setting off the entire War.
GERMAN CHIEF OF STAFF FIELD MARSHAL HELMUTH VON MOLTKE
As the namesake of the most celebrated Prussian/German military leader since Frederick the Great, Moltkes career was both helped and hindered by it. His uncle led the Prussian forces against the Austrians in 1866 and the French in 1870 which led to the establishment of the unified German Empire. Von Moltke the Elder would remain Chief of Staff until his retirement at age 88 in 1888. He instructed his subordinates to build no more fortresses but to build railways.
Von Moltke the Younger was made Chief of Staff in 1906 but always had doubts about his ability. Upon his appointment he said to the Kaiser Does your Majesty really think that you can twice win 1 st prize in the lottery?
He was not your prototypical figure of a stern Prussian officer with the buzz-cut and facial dueling scars. He was a poor horseman, painted, played the cello, and always carried literary books around with him.
Von Moltke carried out the German Schlieffen Plan in the opening month of the War which brought the German armies to the suburbs of Paris. The plan to win the war in the West was doomed to fail simply because the Germans did not have enough men to finish the job. With armies on each side numbering millions, encirclement was almost impossible and armies of that size could not be destroyed even when encircled. During the Battle of the Marne he had a near nervous breakdown and was removed as German Chief of Staff on Sep 14, 1914
AUSTRIAN CHIEF OF STAFF FIELD MARSHAL CONRAD VON HOTZENDORFF
Usually referred to as Conrad, he was to lead the Austrian-Hungarian military through most of the War. Like von Moltke, he rose to the Chief of Staff position in 1906. He had an almost pathological hatred of both the Serbs and Italians (Dago Dogs). Conrad constantly advocated for war so much that in 1911 the Emperor fired him. He was hired back a year later only because there was no one else. His plan upon entering the war was to split his armies along the Serbian and Russian borders. In attempting to remain strong everywhere, his forces were strong nowhere. Constantly advocating the offensive, his attempts at huge offensives usually followed a similar pattern. After initial success they would stall and begin massive retreats until saved by German reinforcements. The Germans would describe being allied with Austria-Hungary as being shackled to a corpse. 
Conrad would make his grandiose plans in luxurious castles often 600 miles from the front and expected them to be carried out regardless of how events would develop.
He was demoted in 1917 and given command of a single Army group where he would continue his career of failure until Austria-Hungary's surrender in 1918.
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Previous installments of the series can be found in the History and Sociology subsection under Health, Science & Tech at the top of this page.
Another good one pokermike. The AH leadership was horrible at best. The loses they suffered are staggering. Always the grunt that pays the price for inept leadership.
German Cavalry on the Russian Front.
There was a lot of bad leadership to spread around in that war, especially at the highest military levels. The line officers of most armies were exemplary, suffering substantially more casualties than enlisted men.
I'll see your German cavalry and raise you one Cossack cavalry.
Now you got me investigating all the Countries that had cavalry units in WWI...
If you haven't heard of Sgt. Stubby and Cher Ami in WWI, they are great stories of animals that foughtalong side the Allies in WWI. They saved many lives with their courage.
A dog and a pigeon.
I will be doing an extensive segment on cavalry. WWI would prove to be the demise of horse cavalry.
You've given me a great idea about the other interesting animals who contributed to the war effort. I will be sure to include Sgt. Stubby and Cher Ami in the piece.
I was never quite clear on exactly what was a "field marshall " ...
In many armies, the title of Field Marshall is bestowed upon a senior General who had won a great victory or battle in wartime. The U.S. has never utilized the title in its military.
Thanks for the clarification . It sounds like something that might work in football but only post season ...
It is ironic that many of the most skillful and celebrated military leaders end up on the losing side:
Hannibal (Carthage) vs the Romans in the Punic War
Napoleon Bonaparte (France) vs the European Coalition in the Napoleonic Wars
Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson (Confederacy) vs the Union in the Civil War
Erwin Rommel (The Desert Fox) vs the British/Americans in WWII
Another informative installment.
It's very interesting to learn about the personal lives of some of these players. I have to say that reading aboutEmperor Franz Joseph life, made you wonder how a man could endure so muchmisery.
My understanding about theCossacks, was that they were brutal fighters and very loyal. Is this true?
The Cossacks are very unique and interesting characters. Not an ethnicity, they were both symbols of freedom and repression. They were a combination of Wild West cowboys and the French Foreign Legion. Anyone could join their quite democratic settlements (mostly in the southwestern parts of Russia), but once in you lived by their strict code. Proud, tough horsemen, they were often called upon by the Tsars to quell unrest by workers in the cities and became feared for their ruthlessness and brutality. The Cossacks also served as guards of the borders and had their own separate regiments within the Russian military.
Is it just me or do the Cossacks look like they are "at home" on horseback ?